Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) police officers and (b) public-facing police staff participating in mandatory autism awareness and sensitivity training.

Training on mental ill health and autism is already integrated throughout the initial police learning programme which all new recruits must complete.

Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has produced an e-learning course on neurodiversity, which are available to all police officers.